State Sen. Craig Pridemore and state Rep. Jaime Herrera made it official today: Both will enter the race to succeed U.S. Rep. Brian Baird in Congress.
“I’ve never been so fired up for a campaign in my life,” said Pridemore, D-Vancouver, who is serving his second term in the state Senate. “It’s 320 days to Election Day, and the clock has started.”
Pridemore said he has assembled a strong campaign team and will begin raising money immediately, even as he prepares for a grueling 60-day legislative session in January.
“This election presents an opportunity to send someone to Washington, DC, who will lead on issues that matter here at home and will fight for our values and priorities,” he said in a statement. “Those who know me understand that I’m no wallflower. We need leaders who won’t back down from a fight or let their decisions be guided by politics. I look forward to taking my message of strong, principled leadership to all parts of the district over the course of the campaign.”
Pridemore said his top priority if elected would be to stimulate job growth in Southwest Washington.
“Look around this district; we are suffering the highest unemployment in the state,” he said. “Too many people are suffering in this economy. I see families, veterans, and senior citizens all struggling to stay afloat. It is high time that our leaders in Washington, DC focus on our jobs crisis right here at home.”
Herrera, a Camas Republican, served from 2005-07 as senior legislative assistant to U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. She left that position to seek appointment to a state House vacancy in the 18th District and was elected to a two-year term in 2008.
“I’m running because we badly need new leaders in Washington DC who will stop digging us deeper into the hole of credit card debt,” Herrera said in a statement. “Look at Congress today. They’re debating health care bills that will raise the cost of care for average families and increase the debt by trillions.”
“We need a whole new approach,” Herrera said. “My pledge is simple — I will place more value on saving your money than spending your money.”
Herrera’s announcement drew a quick jab from Andy Stone of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee,
“Jaime Herrera’s record of opposition to both property tax relief and critical tax exemptions for working families doesn’t match her rhetoric about saving local families’ money. That type of blatant hypocrisy is the last thing Southwest Washington needs.”
Kathie Durbin: 360-735-4523 or kathie.durbin@columbian.com.
